South Asian Football Final IND VS KW: India has a chance to win the title for the ninth time, played a draw in the last encounter
Bangalore2 minutes ago
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The Indian team will once again rely heavily on skipper Sunil Chhetri, who has scored five goals in the tournament so far.
In the SAFF i.e. South Asian Football Championship, the final of the championship will be played between India and Kuwait at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru today. India is hosting the SAFF Championship this year. In such a situation, this tournament is special for Indian football.
The SAFF Championship is being played since 1993. The 14th season is being played in 2023. India has won this championship 8 times in the 13 seasons so far. With this, India is the most successful team in the history of this tournament. Today India has a chance to win this title for the 9th time. The Indian team will once again rely heavily on skipper Sunil Chhetri, who has scored five goals in the tournament so far.
India did not lose a single match
India made their debut in the SAFF Championship with a 4–0 win against Pakistan. In the second match, India defeated Nepal 2-0. Had to play a 1-1 draw against Kuwait in the third match of the group. In the semi-finals, India faced Lebanon where they won 4–2 on penalties.
There was a draw with Kuwait in the group
India had defeated Lebanon 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals to make it to the final, while Kuwait beat Bangladesh 1-0 in extra time. This will be the second time in the tournament when the two teams will clash. Earlier in the group match, the match between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw. India had to play this draw due to an own goal by Anwar Ali in the last minute.
Assistant coach confident of team’s fitness
Before the final, Indian team’s assistant coach Mahesh Gawli said- ‘If the team is getting a week’s time for the final, then no one can do anything, but you get more than 50 days, then you can focus on your fitness. Will you work? We have got about 50 days. He said- ‘The team’s strength and conditioning coach Luke Redman has done a tremendous job. We have seen that our players have played the tournament without getting injured. He has also not suffered any kind of stretch during the match. Gawli says that the return of Sandesh Jhingan will strengthen the team. However, Anwar Ali, who played in his place against Lebanon, showed a great game.
